New-York tribune., 1887-11-22
LORD wOLvERTON.
POLITICIAN, BANKER. WHIP, HOME RULER,
TYPICAL LENGLLsHMAN AND FRIEND.

| LONDON, Nov. o..
! Lord Wolverton's death was sudden enough to
dispose mems hearts TO kindness in their speech OF
| him now that he Is gone. Ho was o popular man,
too. in private life whatever offence he may have
given in politics by the recklessness of his tongue.
| He used to fling such words as traitor, Judas
Iscariot and the like ut the heads of men who were
no more traitors OF Jndases than he This was
| only in latter days. He had. however, made him.
self extremely disiiked in his own
county by these proceedings ard Others.
He carried the ferociy of current politics
to lengths almost unheard of, out of Ireland Lib.
erality. il that he the word. he also carried to
lengths unheard of, even in England. The stories
of Lord Wolvertons gifts to political objects re-
mind one of the days when Lord Lascees spent
10000 on Yorkshire election.
1t is the leading Home Rule journal of Ireland
which is responsible for the story that Lord VOL
verton had given spent in one way and another
no less than half million dollars during the last
Home Rule campaign. Probably the amount is
exaggerated, but it was IN any case.
very large. He was capable of bringing
$4,000 people together for q single meet
ing in his own county by the simple process OF
paying their railway fares and supplying unlim.
tied free lunches; with circus and side-shows for
those who did not care to listen to his and other
speeches. That could not be d,ne for nothing. HIS
wealth was enormous, what is hers thought
enormous Common report put 1t at $4,000
or $15.OG0OO0. He was partner, and Iatterly chief
partner in the chief Of the great private banks in
the city. Messrs. 6lyn. Mills, Currie & Co.
1t was as George Glyn that he longest
known to the world Of money and of politics. He
was during many Parliaments chief Whip
to the Liberal party. In many respects
an excellent Whip CHEEKY easy in manner. good
Giscplnarian without seeming to BE- and without
too much peremptOrness albeit bluff enough when
he thought there was occasion Whip, however,
has other duties than marshaing his cohorts for
critical division. The most important Of them is
keeping his chief, whether Prime Minister or Leader
of the Opposition in touch with his party. He
is bound to inform, first himself and then the head
of the party, of the state of opinion in the party
He must note the general movement of opinion and
not neglect cddies aud side currents II Prime
Minister is going counter to the wish or
Judgment of bis followers Of any
section Of them, it is from the Whip shat he ought
to learn it, and learn it before it is too late This
was branca of his functions in which Mr.. Glyn
failed, and failed Mgnaily. His faith in Slr. Glad
stone was unbOnnded; his confidence that every
body must come round IN the end to Mr.. Glad
stones way OF seeing things knew no limit. He
could not bear to tell him unpleasant truths. The
Liberal party might be murmuring or mutinous on
particular question and Mr.. Gladstone be left Sc
renely unconscious of the mischief thai was brew
ing. George Glyn it yas who-to use the Tory
phrase which believe Lord Salisbury first applied
to his great oppOnent-kept Mr.. Gladstone up in
balloon.
"fhe devotion Of Lord WOlvertOn to Mr.. Glad.
stone,' says the Conservative organ, I" was more
like the fidelity Of Highlander to the chief of
his clan than Of politician TO the leader of his
party and without saying anything of the wisdom
of his choice, we may admire the character which
is capable Of and disntcrested an affec-
tion." Anecdotes Of it have long been current i'll
London-nOt all o. them true One, believe. IL
true Mr. Gladstone who has never been q rich
man, some years ago took it into his head to part
with his books. He sold them, or q great part of
them. to q very second rate secondhand dealer in
Oxford-st., presumably at low price, for Mr.
Gladstone's books, like his china. not of the
kind which the dealer collector would think very
valuable Glyn heard Of this transaction and went
off to the dealers The books, if recoIect rightly,
had actually been removed from the house to the
shop. and Mr.. GladstOne's friend confronted
with the library he hid so often other sur
rOundings He bought the whole back from the
dealer, who contented himself with the modest
commission Of 10 per cent on the amount he had
paid agreed to pay. This last incident remained
unknown to Mr.. Gladstone.
His sangune temperament played MIN strange
tricks, also. when it came to calculating votes on
the eve of close division IN tho House of CON-
mons. The most striking instance know is that
Of the div sion on the second reading Of MI. Glad
stones Home Rule bill last year. Lord Wolverton
was not then Whip, Of course, but he was pro-
foundly interested in tue contest and very busy
in 1t. He it was believe. who then misled Mr..
Gladstone as to the probable result. He was con-
vinced that majority for the hill was TO be had.
At the worst, the majority against 1t would not
exceed half a dozen votes. These assurances were
what led Mr. Gladstone at the very last to
refuse all concessions. Down to the last. and
even down to the end of that memorable and ad-
mirable speech in which the great orator closed
the debate. his own friends were expecting HIM to
announce notifications of his scheme There
many Liberals among those who could not accept
il as it stood, who only too anxious to support
him and his scheme if he would make it possible
for them to support him. Had he known the truth
he would have Welded What he wanted was, in
truth, only such vote should affirm the princi-
pie of Home Rule and keep his Goyerument IN. He
might have had it but for his stubbornness on GER
tain points, and his stubbornness was due
to his belief that he could win OH
bis own terms. aud that belief was due
to bad whipping, as tho Parliamentary phrase is,
amateur and otherwise. Lord WolvertOD was the
amateur
Well, IL Lord WolvertOn was IN any degree re-
sponsibe for that disaster he has done all that
man could do to retreveit Spending money like
water may not be the best or purest form OF
politica energy but it one OF the most effective.
The Corrupt Practices Act has hardly made it less
So Direct bri oery has become difficult and dau-
cerous. Indirect bribery Is still practised on @
great scale. Where there is no question OF bribery
the use OF money IN large sums greases the wheels
of the machine as nothing else does The Dorsetshire
meeting it was by politician so austere
as Mr. John Morley. aud filling as it did columns in
the press, was but one instance. The by-elections
at Spalding and elsewhere were another. The
Liberal managers then made tremendous effort.
They wanted to put themselves III position to say
that the country had revoIted against the policy OF